Turn Around Bright Eyes
by TheGalwayGirl
Summary: Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Lizzie and Gigi go karaoke-ing. Lizzie may confess something she's been trying to keep secret. Set in-between episodes 82 and 83. I've had some ideas for a couple other scenes, so I'm marking this in-progress :) Thank you for the feedback thus far!
1. Chapter 1: Karaoke

Author's Note: In my headcanon, Lizzie's strangled "...she did?" in todays episode (83) meant that she totally confessed something at karaoke last night after she pounded a few sake bombs and bonded with Gigi over some awesomely bad 80s tracks. Other songs sung include "My Strongest Suit" from Aida and "Out Tonight" from Rent. I own nothing. All credit goes to P&P and the amazing writers and creators of LBD. Fanfiction is basically the only way I survive the long days between Mondays and Thursdays, so I hope you enjoy this!

"Are you ready to rock this, Lizzie Bennet?"

"I was born ready."

The room spun in a haze that was only partly because of the fog machine in the corner spewing out thick white smoke.

Lizzie and Gigi burst into the tiny karaoke bar/club a little over an hour before wearing short skirts and sparkly tops and heels that were much too tall. Gigi immediately wriggled her way up to the bar and bought two rounds of sake bombs, reaching out behind her to grab Lizzie's hand and yank her up to the bar too.

Lizzie's sides ached from laughing at Gigi's exaggerated eyebrow waggling as she ogled the very cute bartender's leather-clad ass—clearly the eyebrow quirk was a Darcy family trait—and she already felt a little high on life before they even started pounding the drinks.

She and Gigi grinned at each other as they screamed,

"Ichi! Ni! San! SAKE BOMB!" and then slammed their fists on the bar. Lizzie felt the alcohol course through her veins and spread warmth all the way to her toes.

Gigi ordered two tall glasses of something called Tokyo Tea, flashed Chris the bartender a flirtatious wink, and led Lizzie to a small side table where they collapsed, breathless. Gigi's eyes were wide and slightly manic when she squealed,

"I can't believe you've never sung karaoke before, Lizzie!"

Lizzie smiled at her and took a sip of her drink, which was cold and green and melon-y.

"So…what should we sing?" she asked Gigi.

Gigi was checking out the rear view as Chris the bartender reached up to get another bottle of Midori.

"Uh…well, I always go for the classic musicals…" she said distractedly.

"So Rodgers and Hammerstein?" Lizzie asked with a wry smile.

Gigi glanced back at her with a disgusted look on her face.

"That's not classic, it's old," Gigi said, rolling her eyes.

Lizzie snorted.

"Actually," began Gigi, "I usually start with the same song." Right at that moment the D.J. called out over the mic,

"Aaaaaand next up, put your hands together for the musical stylings of the one and only Gigi Darcy! Gigi, come on up here, girl! And it looks like we have "the" Lizzie Bennet on deck. Better warm up those pipes, Lizzie B.!"

Lizzie stared at Gigi. Gigi giggled and shrugged a slim shoulder.

"What? They know me here. Aaaaand I went ahead and took the liberty of signing you up. You _have_ to solo your first time doing karaoke. House rules." She grinned. "Don't worry," she added, seeing the panic on Lizzie's face, "I scrolled through the recently played song list on your phone, so I know it's one you'll know." She eyed Lizzie's drink. "Bottom's up!" She winked at Lizzie and sashayed her way up to the stage.

Gigi took her place with her back to the audience, and then began in a soft, husky voice,

"In life, one has to face a huge assortment of nauseating fads and good advice." She turned around slowly, inciting much whistling and cat-calling. "There's health and fitness, diet and deportment," she sang, waving her hands up and down. "And other pointless forms of sacrifice. Conversation? Wit? I am a doubter. Manners? Charm? They're no way to impress. So forget the inner me, observe the outer," she cooed, gesturing down her body. "I am what I wear and how I dress!"

Lizzie watched in shock as Gigi strutted expertly across the stage as she belted out "My Strongest Suit," surprised not only because she could hardly reconcile this confident, cheeky Gigi with the shy, awkward girl she met her first day at Pemberley, but also because this seemed like such a Caroline song. Gigi was certainly full of surprises. As was her brother, Lizzie started to think, before she shook herself and went back to watching her new friend shimmy and bounce her way through the finish. As Gigi took her bow to tremulous applause, Lizzie sucked down the rest of her Tokyo Tea and stood up, a little shaky from booze and nerves. Gigi bounded over to her and gave her arm a squeeze.

"That was amazing, Gigi!"

Gigi beamed. "I've always loved to sing. And when I perform, I get to shed my skin and be someone else for a little while. It's nice." She gave Lizzie a hug. "Now get on up there! You'll do great." She gave Lizzie a little shove over to the D.J.

"Are you ready to rock this, Lizzie Bennet?" he asked

Lizzie grabbed the mic from his hand. "I was born ready."

As soon as Lizzie took her place on stage and heard the staccato beat of the drum kick, she couldn't help the huge grin that split her face. She shook her head and gave Gigi a little glare, and then let the music take her over.

"What's the time?" she began, "well, it's gotta be close to midnight. My body's talking to me, it says, 'Time for danger.' It says I wanna commit a crime. Wanna be the cause of a fight," she yelled, pumping her fists, then giving the audience a sidelong look and tipping her head back—"I wanna put on a tight skirt, and flirt with a stranger."

Lizzie hadn't had this much fun in a long time. And Gigi was right. For a few moments, she wasn't Lizzie Bennet, bane of her mother's existence and collector of debts, separated from her family for the first time ever. She was, well, not quite Mimi, exotic dancer with HIV, but a more badass, sexy version of herself that she quite liked.

She spun around as she belted out the final chorus.

"Let's go ooooooUUUUt tonight! I have to go oooooooUUUUUt tonight!" She caught Gigi's eye and scrunched up her nose. "You're sweet, wanna hit the street? Wanna wail at the moon like a cat in heat? Just take me oooooouuuuut tonight!" She dropped the mic to her side and took her bow, grinning like an idiot, and then made her way back to their table.

She didn't see Gigi put down her camera phone and stealthily slip it back into her purse.

"Oh. My. God. Gigi! I'm not gonna lie, I kind of wanted to murder you when you signed me up to sing by myself, but holy shit! That was so much fun. How did you know that _Rent_ was my favorite musical?"

"Well the soundtrack did comprise a good third of the songs in your Top 25. I trusted my instincts and took a wild guess," Gigi laughed. "You looked good up there! I didn't know you could dance like that, Lizzie."

"Welll, Lydia and I maaaay have spent several afternoons memorizing some of Rosario Dawson's moves after countless viewings of the movie." She stopped herself suddenly when she realized what she had said. Some of her good mood deflated when she remembered that she and Lydia were still in a fight. She blinked a few times and then said,

"Okay, okay, so what are we going to do next? "Take Me or Leave Me"?" Lizzie asked excitedly.

Gigi rolled her eyes again. "Um, no. I love you, Lizzie, but my affection for you is a little more sisterly and a little less Sapphic. Besides, I think we've filled our musical theater quota for the night."

"Hmmm…no more musical theater. Soooooo…80s power ballad?" Lizzie waggled her eyebrows.

"Obviously. I'll go sign us up!" Gigi scampered back to the D.J.'s booth. Lizzie signaled the bartender to bring them another round.

After Gigi haggled with the D.J. to move her and Lizzie up the list (she may have slipped him an extra couple of $20s for the favor…sometimes having a trust fund wasn't so bad), she whipped out her phone and texted Darcy.

_Hey, big bro! We're having a blast! Lizzie just finished her first song. Wasn't she amazing? Bet you wish you'd joined us… =)_

She attached the video she shot of Lizzie performing "Out Tonight," and rubbed her hands together gleefully as she imagined her brother watching Lizzie gyrate suggestively as she sang. William was just entirely too easy to tease sometimes.

"I hope you like interpretive dancing, because you better believe we are going to kill it when we get up there in a few songs."

"Interpretive dance?" Lizzie snorted. "What are we doing?"

"'Total Eclipse of the Heart.' Get ready." Lizzie decided she must be a little past drunk, because she almost fell out of her seat when she doubled over with laughter.

"I underestimated you, Gigi. You are absolutely the best karaoke song-picked ever. I bow before the master…mistress?"

"Oooh, mistress!" exclaimed Gigi, curtsying slightly. "Gigi Darcy, Mistress of the Empty Orchestra. I like it! Perhaps I'll have them add that to my business card."

"You would."

There was more singing. And more drinking. And a lot more singing.

Lizzie was starting to understand why they came on a Sunday night—there were fewer patrons to get annoyed when Gigi kept buying their way to the top of the list.

After rousing renditions of "Blister in the Sun," "Come on Eileen," and "Jessie's Girl," Lizzie gasped,

"Enough! Some of us have to be at work tomorrow you know." She took a long drink from her glass of ice water—she had switched over from alcohol in an attempt to stave off her inevitable hangover. Suddenly, she groaned and held her head in her hands.

"What is it?" asked Gigi.

"Tomorrow is Monday." Lizzie moaned.

"Well, technically, it's already Monday. It's after one."

If looks could kill, Gigi Darcy would never live to shove her brother and Lizzie into rooms again, such was the death stare Lizzie fixed on her just then.

"Not helping, Gigi."

"I don't see what the big deal is. You can go in a little late. William won't mind—I promise."

"Maybe not, but that would be highly unprofessional. I'm more concerned with the fact that I still haven't recorded a new video. You know how my viewers are—their obsession with my life never ceases to amaze me," Lizzie added dryly.

"Why don't you get William to help you out again?"

Lizzie fixed her with another death glare.

"You never give up, do you?"

"Nope!" said Gigi brightly.

Lizzie shook her head and narrowed her eyes at Gigi.

"Look," she sighed. "I will concede that I was…mistaken…in my initial judgment of your brother."

"Mistaken?" Gigi repeated archly.

Lizzie laughed. "Don't push it."

"Come on," cajoled Gigi. "Admit it. You had fun with him yesterday."

Lizzie put her hands down. "Yes, yes. I did. I had a lot of fun with _both_ of you yesterday. Darcy's…different here. Especially when he's around you. He obviously adores you. You certainly lucked out in the big brother lottery."

"No arguments there. He likes you, too, Lizzie."

Lizzie raised an eyebrow. "If you say so, though God knows why after everything I said about him. He must be a masochist."

"Lizzie," said Gigi seriously. "You really need to let all that go. William's forgiven you. It's time to move beyond that. You'll never be _friends_," she said carefully, "if you keep letting all that nastiness hang over your head. What's past is past. I know that better than most, after all," she said lightly.

Lizzie reached out and squeezed Gigi's hand.

"Okay," she said. "You're right. And I think I will see if he could help me out tomorrow. I still need to interview him for my report anyway. It might turn out kind of boring, but it's better than nothing right?"

"Based on their comments, I really don't think your viewers would mind if William read from the phone book for half an hour."

Lizzie giggled. "They are kind of obsessed with him. Did you see the tweets after you posted those pictures of him in his glasses?"

Gigi burst out laughing. "I know, right? Based on their reactions, William was inadvertently responsible for quite the fangirl massacre yesterday."

"I don't blame them. He did look pretty good." Lizzie trailed off, and Gigi looked up at her slyly through her eyelashes.

"Why, Lizzie Bennet. Did I just hear you say that you think my brother is hot?"

Lizzie scoffed. "Um, no. I said he looked good. There's a difference."

Gigi quirked an eyebrow in an excellent imitation of the man in question.

Lizzie shoved her playfully. "Oh, shut up."

A/N: This is my first fanfiction ever. I would love it if you'd let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2: Sisterly Texts

The buzz-ding of Gigi's personalized text tone dragged Darcy out of deepest sleep. He sucked in a deep breath and sat straight up, adrenaline pumping through his veins, disoriented from his sudden wake-up call and fearful that something had happened to his sister. It wasn't often that she texted him this late, and so his mind was leapfrogging scenarios ranging from bad to worse. He fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand and shoved them on his face, and then grabbed at his phone, not bothering to turn on the light in his haste to check her message.

_Hey, big bro! We're having a blast! Lizzie just finished her first song. Wasn't she amazing? Bet you wish you'd joined us… =)_

She'd attached a video, and the relief that had washed over him when he realized that Gigi was all right was knocked out of him as if had been sucker punched when he saw the single frame of Lizzie, his Lizzie, looking out from underneath her eyelashes past the camera, her mouth frozen in a pouty "o", her lips a whisper away from kissing the microphone in her hand.

It had never occurred to Darcy to be jealous of an inanimate object before, but, God, did he wish he could be that close to her mouth.

His finger hesitated over the image—part of him wanted to devour any and every detail about her he could find; he soaked up the little anecdotes that Gigi or Fitz let slip like a sponge, memorized the melodic line of her laughter, and treasured like a precious jewel each look she gave him that didn't seem to be full of hateful spite anymore, until he had started to feel something like hope blossom in his chest.

On the other hand, he was fairly certain that watching Lizzie perform whatever song it was that put such a seductive glint in her eye might actually kill him with want.

He sighed. Gigi could be such a devil when she wanted to be.

He decided that he couldn't disturb the relative peace he felt at that present moment. He remembered how free she looked when she played that preposterous dancing game at Carter's, how happy and unencumbered, and it seemed to him that this moment that Gigi had captured (most likely without Lizzie's knowledge) was, for him, a stolen moment, one not meant for his eyes, and it felt clandestine and even wrong for him to watch it, alone, in the dead of night.

Maybe he would watch it in the morning, maybe he wouldn't, but for now, he carefully placed his phone back on his night table, content in that moment to love Lizzie from afar, in the quiet darkness of his bedroom.


End file.
